by Kevin Goheen, Special for USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Goheen, Special for USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON - The secret to the Houston Texans offense really is no secret. For the second consecutive postseason, however, the Cincinnati Bengals failed to come up with an answer to running back Arian Foster, and it cost them Saturday in a 19-13 loss in the AFC wild card game at Reliant Stadium.

Foster ran for 140 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries, opening up passing lanes for quarterback Matt Schaub along the way and thwarting a Bengals pass rush that had produced a franchise-record 51 sacks in the regular season.

Foster's running was the foundation of an offense that produced 420 yards on 77 plays and held the ball for 38 minutes and 49 seconds of the game.

"We controlled the line of scrimmage," Foster said. "Anytime we do that, it's going to be tough to beat us, because we eat up clock."

Foster rushed for 1,424 yards and 15 touchdowns in the regular season, topping the 100-yard mark seven times. Saturday was his third consecutive 100-yard postseason game, the first time any player in NFL history has accomplished that feat.

It was also the third consecutive playoff game in which the Bengals allowed an opposing running back to rush for at least 135 yards.

Foster ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries last year. Shonn Greene of the New York Jets had 135 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries three years ago.

The Bengals were 12th in the NFL against the run in the regular season, allowing 107.2 yards per game. They hadn't allowed a 100-yard back since Jonathan Dwyer of Pittsburgh rushed for 122 yards against them on Oct. 21.

"(Foster) is a good back," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. "He finds a way to get a couple of yards and keep pushing it a little bit."

Foster's presence allowed the Texans' passing game to flourish. It was a big reason why they converted eight of their 17 third-down attempts.

"He was outstanding," said Schaub of Foster. "He did what he always does and that's just churn out the tough yards."

Schaub completed 29 of 38 passes for 262 yards. He did throw one interception that Leon Hall returned for a 21-yard touchdown but he wasn't sacked. The Bengals were credited with just two hits on Schaub, one by defensive end Carlos Dunlap and the other by safety Reggie Nelson.

"When we can control the line of scrimmage and be successful on the ground it opens up the play-action pass, the keepers and even the drop-back passes," Houston center Chris Myers said. "I wouldn't say they were backing off but you can see when you've got a defense reeling a little bit, talking to each other and seeing what's going on. When you can move the line of scrimmage 1 or 2 yards before Arian even hits it, it's a successful day."